Possibility of new Catholic high school for Baldwin County still very much alive, with poll

The Most Revered Thomas Rodi, Archbishop of the Mobile Archdiocese answers a reporter's question during an interview in his office in downtown Mobile, Ala., Tuesday, Nov. 20, 2012. (Bill Starling/bstarling@al.com)Bill Starling | bstarling@al.com

The Archdiocese of Mobile continues to explore the
possibility of establishing a new Catholic high school in Baldwin County,
according to Archbishop Thomas J. Rodi.

The next step, he said, is determining whether the funds can be raised.

In a recent interview with the Press-Register, the
archbishop reiterated the need for offering Catholic education in growing areas
of the Archdiocese of Mobile, including sprawling Baldwin County.

"As those areas grow, we realize that more industry and more
businesses are coming to Mobile. So at least the future seems to be very
hopeful for our area," he said. "That means more growth, and we have to provide
Catholic schools in those areas where growth is occurring."

At this point, the archdiocese is "studying whether we can
raise the money to build it," he said. A new school would cost $25 million and
would need another $5 million endowment for support and tuition assistance, the
archdiocese has estimated.

One of the sites mentioned for a new school is located off
Ala. 59 near Robertsdale, where the archdiocese owns about 40 acres. However,
that site has raised concerns that it would not be centrally located enough for
some families.

In a 2009 survey, the vast majority of Baldwin Catholics
agreed that a new Catholic high school would benefit area children.

A report two years
ago by the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., estimated that a
Catholic high school opening in Baldwin in 2014 would draw about 400 students. The
report said it would cause a loss of about 85 students from McGill-Toolen
Catholic School in Mobile County. This amounts to only 8 percent of McGill's
total population but 60 percent of its Baldwin students.

In the interview, Archbishop Rodi predicted that a
new Catholic high school would draw many of its students from other Baldwin
high schools.

A more recent study, by the Institute of Parish and School
Development in New Orleans, was expected to examine the feasibility of raising
sufficient funds for a school, but its findings have not been made public.